Vanessa Barrios, a senior majoring in textiles and apparel design, was the first-place winner with her dress made of paper hearts, designed for business and evening wear, which was part of the Baton Rouge American Heart Association Hemline for Hearts event. Other College of Agriculture students who submitted designs were seniors Natalie Welch, Ingrid Sjunnesen and Brielle Pouciau, and sophomore Olivia Lapuade. .

Savoie Industries creates internship endowment

Savoie Industries LLC has created an endowment to support an LSU College of Agriculture intern at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station. Mike Daigle, Savoie CEO, said his family wanted to support the future of the sugar industry with its donation.

“The lifeblood of the sugar industry is research. Without research we would not be here today,” Daigle said.

Savoie Industries is a family-owned, land-holding company based in Assumption Parish with ties to the sugarcane industry dating back generations. Daigle said the company’s board of directors decided to support an intern after discussing ways they could give back. They felt funding an intern could benefit researchers at the station who need more help, promote the sugar industry to students and secure the industry’s future.

Savoie Industries board of directors includes chairman Don Savoie, Rufus Savoie, Chuck Savoie, Danny Savoie, Tommy Savoie, Will Daigle, CJ Daigle, Tom Cancienne, Ed Cancienne and Daniel Mattingly.

Les Voyageurs Kacie Martin, Brooke Comeaux, Bianca Jones, Trista Galivan, Katie Costanza and Colt Hardee participated in a service and professional development retreat in New Orleans during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. They volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank's community kitchen, conducted Ag in the Classroom activities with second-graders at KIPP Believe Primary School, and helped sort Mardi Gras beads at the ARC of Greater New Orleans, which provides jobs to intellectually disabled individuals.

The LSU AgCenter and Zamorano Pan-American School of Agriculture in Honduras have a strong history and partnership. Since 2005, the AgCenter has hosted more than 100 Zamorano students for internships, and many have returned to LSU to pursue graduate studies. The Zamorano Agriculture Society, established to help facilitate the exchange, held a 2018 closing ceremony in December to honor Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the LSU College of Agriculture,

The society also gave out scholarships and recognized local supporters of the society and board members. Scholarship recipients included Emilio Gutierrez, a Ph.D. student in animal sciences; Alejandro Castro, a Ph.D. student in agronomy; Cristhiam Gurdian, a Ph.D. in food sciences; and Katheryn Parraga, a Ph.D. in food sciences.

The society donated $1,500 for the 2019 Zamorano summer internship program through the LSU AgCenter.

Left to right, Cristhiam Gurdian, Katheryn Parraga, Bill Richardson, Franklin Bonilla, Emilio Gutierrez and Alejandro Castro.

Noah Harper receives national scholarship

Noah Harper, a College of Agriculture sophomore majoring in plant and soil systems, is the recipient of a national agricultural scholarship. Harper received the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants’ Foundation for Environmental Agriculture Education Jensen Memorial Scholarship. The $3,000 scholarship commemorates Richard Jensen, one of the early members of the consultants group.

Harper, of Franklin Parish, spent his summers working with plant pathologists at the LSU AgCenter Macon Ridge Research Station in Winnsboro, Louisiana, while in high school. He would scout fields for pest problems.

“Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to work in agriculture,” Harper said.

Harper is a student worker in the entomology department, where he works mainly with sugarcane. He also helps with student recruiting, campus tours and service projects as a member of Les Voyageurs, the college’s student ambassador group. He said joining Les Voyageurs has helped him become more connected to the college.

“I thought I wouldn’t be comfortable at LSU coming from a small town, but I’ve found so many friends,” he said. “My professors and advisors know me, and it really is a family and personalized atmosphere in the college.”